An upward trend in domestic and international visitor numbers, guest nights and length of stay continued in Wanaka in July, and record numbers were reported by some sectors of the tourism industry.
Statistics New Zealand's July statistics showed Wanaka guest nights were up 26.7% compared with 2010, while nationally, there was an average increase of just 2%.
In Wanaka, international guest nights accounted for a 19.8% increase to 40,766, while domestic nights rocketed by 39.9% to 24,487.
Wanaka was the only South Island town to show an increase.
Queenstown and West Coast were down 10.9% and 7.6% respectively, while Canterbury recorded the largest decrease of 28.9%.
Lake Wanaka Tourism general manager James Helmore said in a media release the "fantastic" results continued a trend dating back to last November and reflected work being done to build awareness of Wanaka as a domestic and international destination.
However, he cautioned there had been a wider variation of results within different sectors than previously.
"Some businesses are doing exceptionally well, while others are wondering where all the visitors have gone. In addition, the forward outlook is extremely uncertain with the economies of traditional markets under pressure," Mr Helmore said.
Wanaka Chamber of Commerce president and Edgewater general manager Leigh Stock confirmed there was some disparity between accommodation providers during July.
"This has a lot to do with the mix of clientele coming through.
What these results really highlight is the importance of marketing and getting your business out there, even in these uncertain times," Mr Stock said.
Alex Ford, of Aspiring Helicopters, said despite the late start to the ski season, tourist numbers had increased.
"Obviously, heliskiing was down due to the lack of snow but what we missed out on in heliskiing we gained in scenic flights. I would say 90% of our clients were Australians here during school holidays and looking for activities off the mountain," Mrs Ford said.
Puzzling World general manager Duncan Spear said the attraction only saw a small increase of about 4% in July.
"Our group numbers were well up, particularly groups from Southeast Asia and China, [but] ... the huge increases we saw in May and June ... seem to have tapered off."
